The present invention is proposed to be used primarily as a assistive tool for drying carpets which have been flooded, and in particular is proposed to be used to extract water from all types of carpet, and from any accompanying carpet pad or underlay. In addition, the device may also be used on hard, smooth surfaces such as linoleum or concrete.
Floods result from burst water mains, malfunctioning sprinkler systems, broken plumbing, backed up drains, and major disasters, such as overflowing rivers and other natural disasters such as hurricanes.
After a flood, the job of cleaning up is sizable. Water, dirt and debris accumulate in carpets and are often retained by the carpet and the accompanying pad. It is common procedure to completely remove the carpet and pad, or other flooring surface, and then allow the flooded surface to dry out. Once thoroughly dry, the damaged floor is replaced, or even resurfaced with new materials.
Water damage accounts for hundreds of millions of dollars in damage each year. The cost of insurance claims is high in part because restoration charges can be high, requiring labour intensive cleaning methods, inexperienced personal and rental costs for drying equipment. The insurance industry has long sought a practical method of restoration in an attempt to “renew”existing materials in attempt to avoid replacement costs.
Standing water in carpets is also a breeding ground for bacteria, mould and mildew, especially in a disaster zone (i.e. after a major flood), and therefore must be dealt with as efficiently and quickly as possible in order to avoid or at least reduce the risk to human health.
It is not always necessary to remove the carpet and pad, or other floor covering after a flood. Rather, it can be cleaned in place, and in many cases the existing materials can be saved. One relatively new system for cleaning such carpets has come to be known as “top down drying”, wherein the majority of the water in a wet carpet is removed or “extracted” and then the carpet and pad are “dried” with the use of de-humidifiers, and large volume air movers. Often a “mildewcide” is then used in conjunction with conventional carpet cleaning techniques to restore the carpet and pad.
There have been a number of proposed methods and systems for extracting water from floor coverings, and some produce reasonable results, but many require excessive time and effort. Examples of devices and methods suggested in the past will be found in the art as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,229; U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,650; U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,151; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,355,122. Some of the prior art methods and systems may leave behind undesirable residue, such as lubricants, and in some cases actually harm the backing of the carpet because of stresses exerted during extraction. many such prior art devices also compress the carpet and underpad to “squeeze” water out of them. This tends to ruin the carpet.
Further, in many flood situations, water has found its way into the electrical system of the structure, or electricity is unavailable altogether. This makes some of the current methods of extraction unavailable, save for the use of long extension cords or generators.
The removal of water from a carpet and pad or other types of floor coverings thus clearly remains an important concern, and it is still desirable that a system be proposed which provides exceptional extraction results. Preferably, a device should be provided which can be easily operated by one operator, used reliably without a direct electrical source, and which extracts a large amount of water from a wet carpet in a minimum number of passes, thus saving time and money.